Unit Plan 11 (Grade 2 Art): Art & Celebrations
Grade 2 art unit where students explore how artwork shows traditions, celebrations, and community events, using visual clues to connect art to culture and real-life experiences.
Focus: Explore how art shows traditions, celebrations, and community events and why they are important.
Grade Level: 2
Subject Area: Art (Visual Arts • Connecting/Responding)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 weeks, 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students look at artworks that show celebrations, such as holidays, parades, birthdays, or community events. They practice noticing who is celebrating, what they are doing, and how the artwork shows special traditions (clothing, decorations, foods, places). Students connect these images to their own experiences, learning that art can tell stories about how people come together and celebrate what matters to them.
Essential Questions
- How can art show traditions, celebrations, or community events?
- What clues in an artwork (clothing, decorations, actions, setting) tell us that people are celebrating something?
- How are celebrations in artworks similar to or different from celebrations in my own life?
- Why is it important for artists to show special events and traditions in their artwork?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify when an artwork shows a celebration, tradition, or community event.
- Describe who is celebrating, what they are doing, and where the celebration is happening using details from the artwork.
- Explain how specific visual clues (clothing, decorations, objects, actions) show that a tradition or event is taking place.
- Make simple connections between celebrations in artworks and their own family or community traditions.
- Share one artwork about celebrations and describe both what they see and what tradition or event it might show.
Standards Alignment — 2nd Grade (NCAS-Aligned)
- VA:Cn11.2a — Describe how art can show traditions, celebrations, or community events.
- Example: Students examine artwork related to holidays or festivals.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can tell when an artwork shows a celebration or special event.
- I can describe who is celebrating, what they are doing, and where they are.
- I can point to clues (clothes, decorations, objects) that show a tradition or celebration.
- I can connect the celebration in the artwork to a tradition or event I know.
- I can use kind, clear words to talk about celebrations in art and why they matter.